High Court rules Uber app lawful

The High Court has ruled that the US motoring app Uber does not violate the law. The Court had been asked to consider whether smartphones from the company were considered taximeters, which currently is against the law for private vehicles and only available to drivers of black cabs in London, according to a report from The Guardian.

Transport for London said it would not appeal the decision, and was looking for clarification on the subject. A consultation is currently ongoing by TFL on the subject of private hire regulations. TFL had said that smartphones had not been taximeters.

Uber, the minicab-hailing app, does not break taxi laws in London, says High Court http://t.co/Wa8txFZTOv

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) October 16, 2015

Richard Massett, the chair of the Licenced Taxi Drivers Association, said they would appeal, in an interview with the BBC.

“It’s a fact that the smartphone acts in exactly the same way as a taximeter,” Massett said. “It calculates the fare by means of time taken and distance covered – and it’s doing exactly the same job. Private hire legislation specifically precludes private hire from using a meter – and that’s exactly what it is.”